정신분열증 환자의 기억력 = Memory Function in Patients with Schizophrenia

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This paper reviews the literature on memory function in patients with schizophrenia. It has been repeatedly reported that schizophrenic patients display memory deficits when compared to other psychiatric populations and to normals. A synthesis of findings indicates that both verbal and visual memories, especially recall task performance, are affected negatgively, and the abnormalities of both temporal lobe structures including the hippocampus are proposed. Moreover, imaging studies of the brain and postmortem studies confirm this possibilities.
Researchers over the years believed that deficits in encoding and retrieval process characterized the memory dysfunctions found in the schzophrenic patients. However, more recent studies showed that the dysfunction might be associated with impairement of recognition in chronic schizophrenics. In comparison with the normals, schizophrenic patients showed decreased functioning in free recall task performance where highly elaborated encoding skills and memory strategies are needed.
Previously, it has been believed that memory dysfunctions in patients with schizophrenia were secondary to attention deficits they possessed, but recent findings enhance the possibility that memory dysfunctions found in the schizophrenics is somewhat fundamental, which is to conclude that memory dysfunctions are due to the biological abnormalities of the disease rather than a secondary phenomenon to attention deficit they have.
The effect of antipsychotics on memory functions is still controversial. On the contrary, the effect of anticholinergics on memory function is clearly adverse that more attention to anticholinergics would seem warranted, at least insofar as the study of memory in schizophrenia is concerned.